As a mark of protest at the refusal of an incoming administration’s press officer to take questions at his first press conference, this week I am happy to announce some minor contributions from this publication in keeping the flow of information alive and well.
Firstly, we launch our case study competition this week and hope readers will take the opportunity to show off their professional skills. I believe strongly we learn an awful lot from each other’s actions and experience, and this goes way beyond what might be found in textbooks and CET articles. So please, even if you have never before considered putting finger to keyboard, think about sending in your own contributions. If used, you may win a quick £150 prize to boot.
Secondly, I offered a short rant last year after the UK government introduced a hastily designed and impractical Psychoactive Substances Act aimed at reducing the abuse of the widely available ‘legal highs’ causing so much damage to society. This week we run a CET offering an overview of the ocular impact of so-called recreational substances (both legal and illegal) and I hope this emphasises the need for careful regulation and understanding of such substances so we can actually identify and manage problems. Forcing things underground has never worked.
Finally, I have spent the past two weeks with family in Australia. Look out for some reports coming soon about interesting developments in eye care down under. This includes a novel new way of teaching optometry at the Flinders University in Adelaide and a look at the growing influence of the Holden Institute in addressing the world’s myopia problems.
Knowledge is good – and questions about its validity even better.